Rayman: The Island of Loss Chapter 2
by Squirrel Guy
Summary: Rayman finds himself on the floating island heading toward another unknown planet, and Murfy and Globox start their own journey to find him.
1. Default Chapter

Rayman: The Island of Loss - Chapter 2  
  
Characters created by Michel Ancel  
  
Written by Andrew Kaiko  
  
  
Here's the second chapter of my Rayman fan fiction. Rated PG for about four references to dissing stupid people and some deep thematic elements. I do not own the characters and all related subjects. Rayman is © 2002 Ubi Soft Entertainment. The character of Rayman and all other characters and subjects are all trademarks of Ubi Soft Entertainment. All rights reserved.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"No one can live with respect only. And even fewer can live with saving the world! Look at yourself. You have no home, you are always on the move. Yes, thinking of others is very good, yes, very good indeed, but don't you ever take time to examine what you want?"  
  
The words seemed to repeat again and again in and out of his head. Rayman felt himself regain consciousness. He started to open his eyes, but no words could describe the feelings he felt from what he saw.  
  
In front of him was a forest that appeared to be the exact same one he visited last night, but this time, the trees and plants didn't look as healthy. It was also quieter and calmer than he was used to. There were no Lums. There were no elusive matuvus, or other exotic creatures running around the place. No plums, no other cootmellons. Just the same trees and ground, which all appeared to look rather sick. He was also surrounded by various creatures, most of them who were not native to the forest, all lying on the ground, either asleep or knocked out. It was unusually cold- the temperature you would expect to feel high up in a mountain. But in a rain forest?  
  
The most shocking thing Rayman noticed was the sky. The clouds were moving in the direction they were supposed to be going, but to Rayman, they were floating unnaturally fast! Unless they were lower in elevation, there was no way they'd be going at this speed! And there weren't any heavy winds, either.  
  
He struggled to boost his upper body so it levitated over his weary feet, and after a few trips from exhaustion, he wandered around. The cootmellon was left in the middle of the lifeless creatures.  
  
It seemed as though all of time had stopped. He was hoping to see some form of life if he advanced further into the mysterious land, but there was still nothing. How did I get here?, he wondered. Was I unconscious for years, like Rip Van Winkle? Is this the future?  
  
A few more stops and he noticed a large area that was cleared of trees to make way for, what USED to be, and what Rayman THOUGHT he saw, the ruins of observatories, labs, greenhouses, and machines. Studying this site, he gathered that this used to be a high-tech station for scientific experiments, and had adopted much of the same technology of how the robo- pirates worked. He found no alarm from that, though, as he was certain what was left here has been long gone.  
  
Suddenly, movement! To his right!  
  
Rayman's head zipped directly to his right like a slingshot!  
  
It came from a pile of rubble made of metal and steel. Under it emerged a creature whose features were blacked out from his silhouette. But as Rayman stepped closer, his face distorted, his temperature boiled up like a hot oven and his fists clenched!  
  
It was the guy he had encountered in the race!  
  
"You!"  
  
"So you made it. Not too bad of a ride, I hope? Don't worry about your energy. You won't need it for where you'll be staying."  
  
"ARRGH! I wish I had NEVER met you! You must've dragged me out to this crummy middle of nowhere while I was knocked out, right?"  
  
"No. I tell the absolute truth when I say, it wasn't ME who dragged you out here."  
  
"Can you please explain to me where I am?"  
  
"Better yet, I'll show you. Come with me."  
  
Rayman was not in the mood to follow someone who made him uncomfortable, but he was the only living creature here who he knew. And if this was the only way to find out the story behind this place, he might as well go.'  
  
The man led him to a cliff. A different cliff than Rayman had stayed at last night.  
  
The man smirked and asked, "Do you see anything unusual about this view?"  
  
Rayman looked at the miles and miles of hills which turned into mountains in the horizon and said, "Well, nothing. Expect for the fact that the clouds are moving unusually fast."  
  
"And the ground is lower than I expec-"  
  
It was like his brain had snapped! He saw what the man wanted him to see: "THE GROUND IS MOVING TOO. EVERYTHING BESIDES THE CLIFF WE'RE ON IS MOVING THE OPPOSITE WAY!"  
  
"Exactly," the guy hissed.  
  
Rayman, now in a state of panic, rushed to another side of the land, crossing the lying creatures, and sure enough, another cliff.  
  
He raced toward yet another corner of the land and he saw the same thing. A cliff, with a moving view of the land. And the clouds not only seemed to be gaining in speed, but in size as well.  
  
"Too hard to believe? But it's true! Your instincts are EXACTLY RIGHT!" The guy's voice suddenly crescendoed up to a loud roar! "Everything surrounding this area is nothing but a dead end. And you know what that means."  
  
Rayman stuttered, with his body stiff. "We're on an island?"  
  
"What kind of island?"  
  
"A. Floating. Island."  
  
"An island that used to be part of the planet, but separated and is gradually moving upward. Soon it will be out of the atmosphere and we will reach the stratosphere, and soon, conditions will be so harsh, that we won't be able to breathe up on the surface. In which case, we will soon be heading downward underground- our little "ship", if you will- and spend the time until we reach another planet."  
  
"What do you mean 'we'?"  
  
"You, I, and the hundreds of miserable souls who join us in our miserable pilgrimage to a better, MISERABLE life! Rayman", he continued, "Welcome. Welcome to the ISLAND OF LOSS!"  
  
The Island, like a floating boat in the air, gradually continued it's unending quest, as Rayman was so speechless, that he wanted to be unconscious again.  
  
But instead, he was outraged! Turning in front of the man and winding up for a wallop, he swung his fist with all his might- but it stopped, shielded by the guy's equally strong palms, as he slowly shook his head, muttering, "You will not have a great experience here, I can tell."  
  
-  
  
Globox frantically pounded on Murfy's door.  
  
Murfy lived near the other raymans in his own little "fairy house". Fairy houses served the same purposes as birdhouses, and were about twice the size of a regular birdhouse. But fairy houses not only provided room to store food and shelter- they were a REAL home to fairies! They had all the furnishings and everything!  
  
Murfy was in the middle of singing show tunes in the shower when Globox pounded on his door. He put on a bathrobe, sandals and a shower cap, saying gracefully, "Now, which one of my dear dear friends can be knocking on my door at this time of the day?"  
  
He opened the door and Globox waved.  
  
Murfy's face dropped. "Oh, it's you. Make it quick. I think I was finally about to remember Zero Mostel's line in 'If I Were A Rich Man'!"  
  
"Murfy! I just found a letter from Rayman saying he ran away!"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I got a letta' from him too this morning. He also told me he was running away."  
  
"REALLY?! How many letters did he write?! Why didn't you take action?!"  
  
"Oh, you know he'll come back soona' or later! So he's running away. So what? He's always 'running away' from anything no matter where he goes, and you can bet that for every time he DOES 'run away', he's always heading toward somewhere else at the same time! Unless he's running backwards, of course, in which case, those two factors would be switched. But he never runs backwards, so it's not of any significance to this conversation! Now if you'll excuse me-"  
  
"He also mentioned something he had inside his head."  
  
Murfy halted and turned around, as if he were hit on the head with a soda can. "What kind of thing? Not like a metal plate or anything? 'Cause last I talked to him, he didn't get any surgery."  
  
"I don't know. His pencil ran out of lead as he was about to write it."  
  
"Do you still have the letta'?! Maybe it has some otha' information!"  
  
"Oh, uh, no."  
  
"Whaddya' MEAN no?! What did you do with it?"  
  
"I was hungry and ate it. Where's your letter?"  
  
"I threw it away, ya' stupid goof! I'm certain he'll come back! He always comes back here!"  
  
"Well, he's my friend! And friends are sworn to miss each other even when one of them's away for a day!"  
  
"Okay, okay! Think! I'm askin' a pretty big favor, but THINK now! Was there anything ELSE he wrote that may imply what was 'in his head'?"  
  
"Um, he did ramble on about how he left the plumberry pie in the fridge, and how my kids always beat him in Tag. You?"  
  
"Oh I envy you. I got his ramble on how he thought he made the wrong impression on a pretty girl at a department store and went back to the forest and started cutting sketches out of his diary."  
  
"Wait. He owns a diary?"  
  
Just then, all the other raymans rushed toward the two and appeared to be extremely worried! They were running around and trying to decide what to do.  
  
Murfy's mouth gapped open. "Good Lord, how many letta's did he have time to write?! Hmm, I guess I'd better change, huh?"  
  
-  
  
Rayman and the mysterious man gave each other the silent treatment for about two days as they spent their time on the surface of the island. All of the creatures were up and alive now, but far from their normal selves. They all seemed less interested in eating and socializing, and far more grumpily than before they landed on the island. Rayman also felt his spirits fade during that two days, the trees and plants were reduced to coiling strings of rot, and by the second day it got so cold that Rayman had to pull on his red hood, and even that didn't do any good!  
  
Indeed, everything the man said about the island was true. It was definitely moving like a space ship, farther out of the atmosphere, and toward a planet, which now, looked like just another star in the sky. Still, Rayman did not trust the guy for beans.  
  
Rayman wondered how any of these creatures could be so sure that the planet they were headed for was one of prosperity and a new life. What if it was nothing but trouble? Where was the proof? No one brought any books, and no one was lively enough to elaborate into an entire discussion about the planet itself. Everyone instead called it Planet Z, and the only other thing Rayman knew about Planet Z was that it was a deep, deep orange, for that was how it looked as a star-sized structure in the night sky.  
  
His knockout did not get rid of his unwavering thoughts about his so-called illness. At least, he though it was an illness. He pondered the thought- it all started with that guy he met on the race, right? He must've psychologically played with his mind into dismissing his usual interests, right? Or was he in fact the cause? What about the time Rayman glanced at himself in the pool, feeling uncomfortable. This was BEFORE he even knew the guy, so if he wasn't the cause, what exactly WAS the matter with him?  
  
All the clouds were gone now, and Rayman could feel his lungs working harder and harder to function. It was at that moment, after what seemed like two months instead of two days, that the man called everybody to follow him underground to save himself or herself from the climate. Rayman was about to ask someone how they would get underground, but it was answered immediately: an entrance carved out of the floors of the ruined observatory lay in the middle of the island, in which everyone had to step down into the dark hole and crawl their way underground.  
  
The man informed the crowd that only a complete idiot would be stupid enough to jump headfirst into the pit, so he cautioned them to go slowly. A blue, lanky, buck-toothed, rabbit-like creature volunteered to go first, since he was the stupidest. "Follow the blue rabbit, I guess," Rayman said to himself.  
  
Rayman knew how to jump off of tall structures before, so he had no problem leaping into the dark ominous space. He felt himself getting warmer instead of colder the lower he fell. He landed firmly onto his feet when he hit the ground, while the other creatures just piled onto one another, groaning, "Ow, my hip!"  
  
He saw a horizontal tunnel leading one way, which was the obvious way to go. Like a gopher, he crawled on his hands and feet for about half an hour, when he reached a light at the end of the tunnel.  
  
He was relieved to breath fresh air again, so relieved that he didn't even consider how oxygen could circulate underground. But the sight of this new surrounding was unbelievable! It was like a huge, blown-up ant farm, and they were the ants! It was a big, wide-open space that many people had obviously dug out, and was completely enclosed- there was no overhead window! You couldn't even see the sky, and Rayman surmised that weather had no affect on this place. On the sides of the Pantheon-like ceiling were three floors of different rooms and compartments, all inhabited already by hundreds of creatures that all faced the fate Rayman face. In the middle of the dome was a huge central machine, which Rayman assumed must regulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide!  
  
Also attached to the bottom of the machine was a time-counter, counting how many remaining days they all had left until they reached Planet Z. At this time, it counted 9 days.  
  
Surrounding the machine were three floors of walkways that connected the rooms to the central areas and onto the main floor. Rayman wandered around the floor following the rest of the creatures, and noticed several things, like a café on the bottom floor, a library with a poor book selection, and the guide said that the machine could transform itself into a stage and entertainment theatre for nightly activities.  
  
Each creature was led up to a booth headed by a beefy looking creature. Rayman was surprised to find that it was really a muscular lady! She assigned each of the newcomers an identification number in the form of a piece of plastic that could either be used as a clip or magnet, which ever material you were made of. Rayman received the number 9 and from there after, he was not going anywhere for very long.  
  
-  
  
Now Globox and Murfy wanted to speak to a being of superior intelligence, in order to find out where Rayman might have been, but everyone they knew lived so far away from them that they couldn't reach them in this seriously urgent situation. They couldn't reach Polokus, the spiritual being of the Universe, because you had to have all four masks in order to wake him up, and Rayman had used all those up in his quest to defeat Captain Razorbeard. The Fairy Council was too far away. So they turned to their only currently available resource.  
  
"Welcome to Dr. Zchiendrich's Shoppe of Dee Occult and Fortune-Tellinck."  
  
Murfy sniffed at the stuffy atmosphere. "Uh, and you must be Dr. Zchiendrich?"  
  
The old geezer, who was also a rayman, had a long white beard, thick glasses and a robe, topped off by the hood of a mushroom for a hat. "Why, yees! Howeever deed you geess?"  
  
Globox was immediately attracted to the various assortments of incense, candles, statuettes and books on the Occult. "Oh, look, Murfy! An Ouigi Board! I never used one before, but they say it can predict your future!"  
  
Murfy didn't even look at him. "Hey, fiddle with it! By all means! It's your money."  
  
Globox skimmed over the instructions, placed his hands over the cursor and asked, "Will I be as smart as the Great Polokus?"  
  
The cursor floated toward letters to spell out something. Murfy couldn't wait, so he asked Dr. Zchiendrich if he could walk into the back room and give him some information about Rayman. He approved and they both walked into a hovel, where a crystal ball was mounted into the middle of a table.  
  
Globox eventually pursued. "It said, 'If I had a dollar for every time the word 'no' was the correct answer to that question in a billion years, I would be a billionaire.' Must be something wrong with the merchandise."  
  
He waddled on over to the back room, pulled away the beaded curtain, and saw Murfy talking to the doctor.  
  
Dr. Zchiendrich stroked his beard. "Veeeeeery eenterestinc! If Rayman must run a-way, what ees the pur-pose?"  
  
Globox spoke up, "He, ah, also encountered a shadowy creature at the race that told him to think about this whole Big Picture, of what his true purpose is in this world. Oh, and in the letter he wrote, he told me he had something in his head!"  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
"What?! What did I do?!"  
  
"Et ees veeeeeeery interestinc! You're friend has what ees rumored to bee a case of Identity Alterinc Development Seemtoms! Or IADS, for short!"  
  
"Oh, wonderful!" said Murfy. "I'm familiar with that disorder! Now we know the cause, so we can find the cure!"  
  
"I am afraid dat ees not possible."  
  
"Why not?!"  
  
"Number One: no one has found a cure for IADS on record."  
  
"Aw shoot!"  
  
"And Number Two, and this ees the first time I've told anyone dis, but eet doesn't eexeest!"  
  
"Aw double-sh-WHAT?!"  
  
"Yees! You see, the concept for IADS was made up by primateeve creatures long ago. As dey were maturing and growinc up, they were confused by the awkward biological and mental changees they went troo. Dey lacked the knowledge to realize dat what dey were goinc troo was compleetely normal, and SO, inseecure as dey were, dey beeleeved dey all had caught the SAME disorder!"  
  
Murfy couldn't believe such a dumb race would ever mistake growing up and thinking to be a disease! He barked, "That's the best they could do?! They must've been SOME primitive creatures!"  
  
Globox brightened. "Makes sense to me!" Murfy shot him a disconcerting look. Globox seemed to oblivious to his look and focused his attention more on how well these armrests would taste with salt.  
  
"So, if everyone here believes in the disorder, how do YOU know that it's not real?"  
  
"Oh, as you can see, I am waaaaaay past my prime but I am experienced enough to know the history of the world! You peeople are very lucky to have caught mee een such an available moment. Um, eef you'll bee so kind as too follow mee..." The doctor struggled to his feet and baby-stepped over to a tall bookshelf, where he took out a particularly old and tattered book. Murfy noticed that the spine was ready to fall off, and the words were written in Old Neotopian.  
  
"Here ees dee proof. Translated, dis glossary of the race's civilization reecounts their discovery on dee disease. And," he continued as he got out a more recent glossary on the disease, "THIS one was dee very first book to state dat what dey tought was a disease was really a natural development! THIS book was never published, and no copies were made, so dat is why no one else here knew dee truth about the disease." The last book looked more intriguing, but more unprofessional.  
  
Murfy was shuffling in his seat, so he decided to hover instead. "Aw, double-great! Now we find out Rayman has a disease that doesn't exist! So how are we supposed to cure him?!"  
  
They both just stared at him.  
  
Near the end, Globox thanked the doctor for his time, and bought the two books. He was the most worried.  
  
"Murfy, that means Rayman might be beating himself up out of false beliefs!"  
  
"Nah, he may not have a complete body, but he's not THAT unstable. I can't imagine him torturing himself out of a trifle little realization- it just isn't him!" Murfy could see that Globox's anxiety didn't wane. "Okay, if it will make you feel better, we'll go find Rayman! But no annoyingly stupid remarks, no unnecessary eating, and no poor excuses for physical comedy, understand?"  
  
Globox nodded.  
  
"Good. Now go say farewell to your family, grab the Lums, and we'll be off. There's no time to loose," Murfy said passively. "(sigh) Why couldn't I have just taken up knitting like my mother wanted?"  
  
-  
  
Rayman could've made a fuss about the harsh living and sleeping conditions underground the island, but he was so exhausted that he just relented. When night fell, an intercom voice erupted over the entire dome saying, "Tonight the Woodoo Sisters will be performing on-stage after dinner! It will end by 11:00!"  
  
Rayman squinted. "The Woodoo Sisters?!"  
  
(to be continued.) 


	2. Rayman: The Island of Loss Chapter 3

Rayman: The Island of Loss - Chapter 3  
  
Characters created by Michel Ancel  
  
Written by Andrew Kaiko  
  
  
Here's the third chapter of my Rayman fan fiction. I do not own the characters and all related subjects with the exception of Wanda Woodoo and any other characters introduced within. Rayman is © 2002 Ubi Soft Entertainment. The character of Rayman and all other characters and subjects are all trademarks of Ubi Soft Entertainment. All rights reserved.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and whatever you other strangers are. Welcome to this evening performance of that, uh, Jazz Piano Guy and featuring the Woodoo Sisters. They're good. I guess. So, uh, let's all get excited and make a round of sound for, uh, uh, those guys. Yeah. Woohoo. Okay, I'm gone now."  
  
The unenthusiastic MC left the stage, and only about five people in the audience clapped. Rayman was one of those five, and because of that, made a lot more enemies on board the Island of Loss, headed for Planet Z. Everyone was crowded around the stage in the center of the bottom floor underground. Rayman had been doing nothing but lying on his back looking at a fairy-fly on the ceiling, so he thought a little entertainment would ease him for at least a while.  
  
The 'Jazz Piano Guy' appeared to be a Ray Charles figure that was playing music on an old baby grand. The Woodoo Sisters, so apply named, Rayman discovered, by their signature 'Woo-doo!' scat that they used quite frequently, were a triad of snake-like ladies whose species appeared to be related to Sam the Swamp Snake, another of Rayman's friends. Only here, they each had developed four limbs on their upper region with a hand attached to the end of each one, with extremely long fingers and a ring on one of the hands. They had no legs, and walked and danced around by crawling like a caterpillar. They each had elongated lips with an overbite, a fully formed head, and were dressed in outrageously huge wigs and shiny jewelry!  
  
And to Rayman's surprise, contrary to how they were introduced, they were REALLY good! Professionals! How in the world did they end up here underground a run-down floating island?! And if this was so good, how come everyone was reacting to it as if they were watching a children's school play?!  
  
At the end of the performance, the MC went back on-stage and announced that the Sisters had made an album on sale at the store to their right. Rayman's experience since his days looking at his reflection were so down- and-out until he heard the delightful singing of the Woodoo Sisters, that he made sure he got a copy of that album. In the meantime, he would just have to hang ten and deal with his intruding thoughts. He couldn't control these thoughts, somehow.  
  
-  
  
Rayman was hanging out in the café two days after the Sisters' performance. He was still far from fine- he didn't have near the amount of energy even to make a decent punch at someone, his head felt lighter and it was harder for him to keep it balanced on the top of his body, and his helicopter hair didn't get any use since about a month ago. He normally trained four times every week for about 20 hours in total, just to keep his skills sharp, but that was back in Neotopia, and he could feel himself getting weaker the longer he stopped training!  
  
He glanced slowly to the right of him just to take a gander at the variety of creatures who sat at the table. There was a red giant mosquito who was drinking a red substance of some kind, and-  
  
A Woodoo Sister?!  
  
A Woodoo Sister was sitting at the very end of the café, oddly transfixed on a napkin she had in front of her! Rayman recognized her as the green and dark blue one with the white and black wig that made her look like the bride of Frankenstein. With troubles aside for the moment, he gathered the courage to scoot over to her and try to strike up a conversation.  
  
"Um, excuse me, Miss, but, uh-"  
  
She shot a sudden glance at him.  
  
"Uh, you're one of the Sisters, right?"  
  
"Small talk doesn't resolve your inner insecurities when making an impression on a lady. Just tell me what you want." She was in an irritable mood, but Rayman tried his best, nonetheless.  
  
"The Woodoo Sisters! Wow, I've never heard anything like that title in my life!"  
  
"Yes, it's called a Last Name."  
  
"No, no, I mean your songs! They're all great! I've been listening to it yesterday for the longest time! Why did you choose to perform HERE, of all places? You deserve to be down there, in Neotopia!"  
  
The lady seemed to soften up a bit as she slowly turned toward the shrimp as she said, "You're name's Rayman, right?"  
  
Rayman suddenly froze. God, it's obvious she knows about me! Stop acting so hesitant! "Um, yeah, you've heard of the things I've done."  
  
"You're very brave." That would've brightened his day immediately, only she said it passively with no hint of meaning and she continued to be entranced on her napkin. It put a slight heavy sensation in his throat, uh, if he had a throat.  
  
She continued, "I'm Wanda. Wanda Woodoo. My acquaintances are busy preparing themselves for the next performance. Yes, we have another performance in a couple nights."  
  
"Wouldn't you want to help them?"  
  
"They're not my real sisters. Don't tell my agent I said that to an audience member."  
  
"Got it."  
  
She stared again at him, this time with a look of confusion and mystery. "How could I trust you, kid?"  
  
To which he replied, out of instinct, "Because I don't KNOW your agent!"  
  
They both stared at each other awkwardly for about five seconds, and started laughing! They just sat there laughing for about 10 minutes! Rayman really needed the joke! Wanda then dried her eyes and said, "I'm really sorry! I'm in a bad mood."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"Everyone here is in a bad mood. And that's NOT a generalization."  
  
"Yeah, what's the deal? I know everyone here is anticipating this Planet Z, but why? Are they tired of their lives? Do they have control over their decisions here?!"  
  
Wanda ordered two plum fruit juices and said, "We're all here not only to get a new life, Rayman, but because we all have another thing in common. We all have a case of IADS."  
  
Rayman's mouth flew wide open, on account of hearing someone actually mention the disease out loud. "So- that tired-looking MC- and that guy I met in the race back on Neotopia-"  
  
"What guy?"  
  
"I ran into a somewhat filthy guy while I was competing in a race. He was the same species as I am! And it was right after I first started feeling weak!"  
  
Wanda's eyes widened. "Huh! I met a somewhat filthy lady who was my race a while ago, when I was rehearsing alone in my room! And it was right after I realized MY problem!"  
  
"Did she tell you to, how should I put this? Did she tell you to analyze your purpose in life?"  
  
"Y-Yeah!"  
  
Rayman thought this through for a minute, and said, "I think we need to interview a few people."  
  
-  
  
Globox and Murfy were trekking their way out of the woods and reached a short cut to the mountains.  
  
Globox held the more recent book on the disease and read aloud, "The one single evidence that led scientists to prove the disease obsolete was a series of carved images and words in the high mines of Eternity. Through scientific experiments and careful observation, they were able to prove the disease a fraud when the primitive races displayed signs of maturity and puberty. Legend has it that explorers who ventured downward into the caves heard mystical voices inside their heads once they uncovered the true meaning of the engravings!"  
  
"I wonder why that book never got published! It sounds like a pretty useful resource."  
  
"Oops. That's mines of Immortality!"  
  
Murfy swung backward, facing Globox and blurted out, "That's what it was all along? IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST! WE'VE BEEN TREKKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION FOR A DAY!"  
  
"Why are you yelling at me like that?"  
  
"'Cause all you've given me on this trip was complete misery! You left the toothpaste at home, you had to make a wee-wee stop every five minutes, and you had to consume most of our rations when you were having a stomach ache- "  
  
"Those were delicious!"  
  
"-and now I see you've led us in the WRONG DIRECTION FOR A DAY?!?! This can't get any worse!"  
  
A loud crack and then a boom echoed in the afternoon sky, and it immediately started raining! The rain instantly moistened the ground, and the dirt turned into the wettest mud they've ever encountered!  
  
"Murfy, those were the magic words! I learned about clichés like that when following Rayman in his adventures. These stories wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if the propagandists weren't suffering and-"  
  
"That's enough! You've crushed my patience! Why when I get down to the ground, I-WOAH!" Murfy started to slip and slide back and forth across the mud and was struggling to regain balance! He would've just lifted himself up with his wings, but the momentum of the force prohibited him to. Globox giggled at the sight of it, but Murfy pushed him onto the mud too and pretty soon, both of them were pushing one another out of the way of the incline! The floor was slanted downward toward a sharp cliff!  
  
"GET OUTTA' THE WAY!" Murfy called as he pushed Globox over the edge. Globox managed to grab a thin branch sticking outward over the cliff, and he halted in mid-air, with the grip on the branch his only restrain from falling! Murfy had also gone over the edge, but flew upward to stop himself from falling, and so, he was safe, and Globox wasn't!  
  
"Aaah! Aaah! Aaah! Murfy, help me!"  
  
"Forget it! You can just hang there until you fall!"  
  
"You wouldn't do that, would you?!"  
  
"I would!"  
  
"Oh, no, you wouldn't!"  
  
"I would to!"  
  
"Would not!"  
  
"Would too, and stop repeating it before I get so impatient that I change my mind, you coward!"  
  
"Loud mouth!"  
  
"Glutton machine!"  
  
"Windshield waste!"  
  
"Oh, Mighty Polokus. Please have mercy on this poor soul, for you see, he's an idiot."  
  
Globox backed up to run straight into him, when the branch stopped him and he ricocheted back onto the wall!  
  
"Check that. Don't have mercy on 'em."  
  
"You never had this problem with Rayman!"  
  
"Well, that's because he was easy going! He never disagreed with anything I told him to do, because he TRUSTED me! I guided him through lands he had never even heard of before and he thanked me for that! NOT LIKE YOU!"  
  
"I'm a coward! It's my JOB as a follower to disobey the leader!"  
  
"Really, I don't know how you ever became friends with that guy!" Murfy then turned his back on him and just hovered there in the freezing cold.  
  
Globox dangled onto the withering strand of wood, and stared at Murfy. He had hurt is friend's friend, but he then realized something else! "Murfy. I AM glad of one thing about you. You know what that is?"  
  
Murfy didn't show any response, but Globox continued anyway. "Your persistence. You never give up on anything. Murfy, if you give up on this now, who's going to find Rayman? Who's going to protect the forest?"  
  
Murfy slowly shifted his head, which Globox saw as a good sign.  
  
"I wish I could be like you and Rayman, never afraid of anything and never keeping things inside yourself. You guys have so much in common, but I want to have what you both have. I guess that's why I'm friends with him."  
  
"Globox, you never did or gave anything for me. What would you possibly give me if I saved you?" He was responding! That meant he felt the smallest bit of pride from Globox's praise, so Globox continued.  
  
"I'd say it, but being how traditional situations in these stories occur, I'd most likely be interrupted by this branch breaking and me falling to my horrible death, only to be stopped by you saving me at the last second when you quickly change your mind out of virtue, and then we'd shake hands and suck up to each other for the time being, until the time comes where we have another quarrel about our differences, so, well, I don't think I'm going to say it now."  
  
Murfy scoffed, turned and faced Globox yet again and said, "You really think it's going to happen just like that?"  
  
It all did.  
  
-  
  
Being an Earth Snake, Wanda was able to carry Rayman in and out of holes in the wall unnoticed, which was much quicker than walking up and down the floors. She, as well as her stage sisters, knew many secret passageways that no one else knew about. Rayman discovered their powers- they had pigment chemicals inside their body textures that lighted the way in front of them.  
  
Rayman soon found out that everyone he had interviewed had pretty much the same experience: a somewhat filthier version of themselves planted the pondering question of life's purpose inside their heads, if they had heads. He surmised that the guy he met at the race was a hallucination, which he hypothesized, might be one of the more outrageous symptoms to the disease.  
  
But Globox and Murfy knew the disease was a fake, so were these people real?  
  
"Wanda, I have something to tell you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I-- I see filthy people! Filthy people who DON'T KNOW they're filthy! I mean, I just saw that same guy walking near the hallway to my room, a moment after he wasn't there, and then he vanished again!"  
  
"It's creepy, ain't it? But in order to find out if they actually are hallucinations, we have to find more proof. I haven't talked to my stage sisters about this yet! They're in the dressing room."  
  
She carried Rayman through thin dirty passageways, like a really elaborate roller coaster. She then emerged beside another room on the first floor which had three stars installed on the front of it. Rayman didn't see the other two, but it was like any other singer's dressing room he knew of- lights surrounding the mirrors, clothing and miscellaneous accessories thrown haphazardly around the place. Wanda told him they were in the fitting room behind the curtain trying on some new clothes.  
  
"Girls! I have someone you might be surprised to se-ee!"  
  
Rayman was expecting a stampede of fans crawling over him, but they were both as unenthusiastic about him as the first time Wanda saw him as well. They looked exactly like Wanda except one of them was red and brown and the other was yellow and purple.  
  
"Isn't that the short guy who saved the world one time?"  
  
"No, no, Meryl, that was BEFORE he parted the Sea!"  
  
Rayman raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I never-"  
  
Wanda didn't want to disappoint the sisters, so she acted like he actually did all those things. "Oh, Rayman's a bit modest! Ray, I'd like you to meet Meryl and David."  
  
"David?"  
  
The red one raised her baritone voice. "My dad wanted a boy."  
  
Wanda filled them in on their suspicions and whether or not those people they saw were actually real. They all came to an agreement that the disease they had caught weeks ago might've had them hallucinate, and they also agreed that in the next days before their next performance, they would face these unkempt replicas and talk right into their faces about this while situation.  
  
Rayman knew he would be uncomfortable the whole time, but he learned from past experiences that the best way to solve a problem is to face it head on!  
  
-  
  
"There it is! The Mines of Immortality! We made it, Globox! I told you there was nothing to be afraid of!"  
  
"I knew it all along!"  
  
"Don't push your luck."  
  
They had both spent last night lying on top of one another to shelter themselves from the cold under a wide, thick leaf. Globox, who was accustomed to warm beds, was shivering from the damp weather, so Murfy sacrificed his dignity by having himself cuddled in Globox's arms like a teddy bear. Today was much brighter and warmer in the mountains, and they had just gained sight of the bridge to the mines! Although it was on yet another mountain, just the sight of it made them forget the bruises on Globox's feet as they hurried on over to the bridge!  
  
"Ya' know, Murfy, I wonder why it's called the Mines of Immortality."  
  
They saw all these old geezers mining shiny diamonds below in the quarries, quivering in their loose flesh and saying things like, "Hey, HerbI I wonder why all these diamonds keep getting reburied each and every morning we get back to work! This is takin' forever!"  
  
Globox and Murfy looked across the quarries to see a gatekeeper lying near a thin bridge that led to the enormous purple mountain. They approached the sleeping man and inquired about how to seek access within.  
  
"You come bearing coin?"  
  
"Oh, I knew I forgot something at my house!" said Murfy.  
  
"Mmmmm, coin."  
  
"Then, you only need to answer three questions."  
  
Murfy rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's one of THESE!"  
  
"First question: a riddle. Who of the three people standing here is the wisest?"  
  
"Hey, Globox, can you just eat this guy and get this whole thing over with?"  
  
"Sorry, senior citizens make me gag."  
  
Murfy sighed and said, "Well, that leaves Globox out, so it leaves either you or me. Hmmm, well, you are the one asking ME the question, so you must KNOW the answer, which makes YOU wiser than ME!"  
  
"I told you it was a trick question. You are the wiser one, for it was the first time I ever asked that question, and I did NOT know the answer."  
  
"Uh-huh. Hey, don't start layin' any Einstein on me, man, or I'll just fly over you."  
  
"Second question: You've heard of the legendary hero named Rayman?"  
  
Globox nudged Murfy in the wing, a bit too hard. "This should be easy!"  
  
The gatekeeper continued, "What is Rayman's favorite color?"  
  
"Do you get these questions out of some cheap activity book you play crossword puzzles on while you wait for your stop on a subway train?!"  
  
"Just answer the question," he said as he slipped a thin booklet behind him.  
  
"Heh. We'll, I do remember that time when Rayman was playing ball with the yellow Lums for the first time. He was just a baby then. Oh, he was SOOOOOO adorable! Hmm, I guess yellow was his favorite color."  
  
The gatekeeper answered, "That is correct."  
  
"Wow, that WAS easy!"  
  
"Final question: What is the most surprising and breath-taking irony in the world?"  
  
"You want an answer?" Murfy moved to the right to reveal Globox behind him. "Here. Living proof that you can marry a great wife, father a hundred children and still be extremely stupid." Globox just stuck a pose, as if to exemplify something.  
  
The gatekeeper did not move. "Not valid enough proof. I need some physical evidence."  
  
"Uh, he IS physical evidence! He is the EPITAMY of physical evidence to THAT question!"  
  
Globox brightened and said, "Ooh! Ooh! Wait just a sec!" He turned around, regurgitated something, and turned back to the front holding a wet piece of paper. He put on some glasses and read aloud, "'Dearest Honey Lumpkins, Come home! The kids miss you! I miss you too! OXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOOOXOXOXOXOXO! Love, SugarBubble'." To which he immediately ate the paper again, as well as the glasses.  
  
Murfy and the gatekeeper stared like a duo of ghosts. The gatekeeper caught his breath and said, "You may go."  
  
After Globox and Murfy crossed the bridge, the man breathed a heavy sigh, when one of the geezers stepped up to him and said, "Charlie, are you teasin' the tourists again?! That's it! Down to your room!"  
  
"Aw, Pop."  
  
-  
  
Globox and Murfy discovered a series of carved images underneath the mines in a purple cave. They could make out the embossed lines thanks to the eerie purple light reflecting off of the damp floor. The markings were obviously extremely ancient, covered in grain formations and some moss and algae. Nonetheless, they matched the illustration in the book!  
  
"Wow, Murfy, standing in this wet floor almost makes me feel normal for once!"  
  
Murfy tried to ignore him as he studied the drawings. These were they, indeed, but the book did not provide a translation for the images far to the right. It started with symbols that looked like natives with buckteeth and elongated arms, like apes, but not! Next to them appeared a coil with three lines sticking out of the top. It was placed over another set of natives, this time, looking sick. Then followed what appeared to be an evolutionary chart of the natives growing bigger with hair and muscles. Then next panel showed a flock of birds, then times the size of the natives, all carrying them. The next panel showed them all heading toward an upside-down triangle, then a whole bunch of those triangles in the air with the natives in toe toward a small circle. The circle was painted orange.  
  
"So, can you make any of this out, Globox?"  
  
They looked at the artwork for a long time.  
  
"Well, those people in the middle sure do look like they're becoming adults, don't they?"  
  
Murfy's eyes widened and said, "Hey, yeah! What about that coil with the three lines sticking out of it? It looks like a kind of fruit!" He tried to associate fruits he was familiar with the drawing. "It sort of reminds me of a plum, but plums have 16 leaves on the top, not three."  
  
"Who said natives were accurate artists?"  
  
Murfy stared at it again. "Yeah."  
  
"I have no idea what those triangles are, though."  
  
The lines on the upside down triangles were drawn wigglier than the rest, as if the creators intended them to be that way. Natives were going on the flat top of it. Murfy said, "It could be an island, but it's in the air!"  
  
"Again, who said the drawings are accurate?"  
  
"Well, what else could they be?"  
  
"I dunno. I can't think of anything else!"  
  
"Come to think of it, I heard of these rare floating islands in one of the tales I heard as a pupa, but they were just fiction!"  
  
Indeed, those triangles appeared to be floating over land and rising higher and higher, toward the circle.  
  
Globox then made a sudden gasp as he continued to read the book! "Oh my gosh! This says there are a total of 10 sequences in the series! How many do you count?"  
  
"Nine. Why?"  
  
They slowly glanced at the area following the orange circle, to a big boulder that appeared to be causing a dead end. Globox tried to touch the orange circle, but it was too high to reach.  
  
Murfy sighed, flew up to the fifteen-foot-high circle and pushed it. "Never send a blue frog to do a fairy's job!"  
  
Just then, the orange circle responded to the touch by pulling itself inward, and to both of their surprise, the boulder MOVED! It slowly pushed it's way to the right, and a big, BRIGHT LIGHT appeared where the boulder had been. Globox ran behind Murfy for protection!  
  
Inside the nook that followed the orange circle, which they were certain had to be a button, lay one last engraving. It showed natives falling off of the circle, downward toward the ground, and lying there. Globox and Murfy tried to make sense of all this. Then, without making a sound, both of them exchanged horrified looks! Slowly, they fell into a trance, their bodies stiff and upright and their eyes glowing!  
  
An echoed, low voice erupted through both their heads: "When we, the natives of Neotopia discovered the terrible case of IADS, we noticed our muscles had grown, hair had sprouted on us, our voices had deepened, and we were suddenly interested in the opposite sex- an inconvenience for us, for the males and females had been enemies since the dawn of time! So, after a few trifle Romeo and Juliet parodies, we all took desperate action! Using spiritual, magical forces known to only us, we were able to break apart pieces of this planet and have them float us toward another orange planet that we believed would bring us fortune, a better life, and have us forget about our biological changes we were going through. We enlisted native giant blue birds called Stratifours to aid us! But it was a trap! The orange planet caused us pain and suffering beyond our wildest dreams, as if to punish us all for not facing the aftermath of the disease, and so, we all bailed off it, hurtling toward our home planet and to our deaths!"  
  
They needed no more explanations. The hatred for the opposite sex had made them unable to reproduce! The race had disappeared by killing themselves without notice to future races, and so, the rest of history had nothing else to go by on the issue of growing up than by the concept of IADS. Since no one else was around to stop the islands from separating from this planet, islands kept breaking off and heading into space.  
  
No one else realized that the thoughts that were circling in their heads were perfectly normal. No one else realized that they had reached a higher level of cognitive faculties, which they mistook for IADS. No one else had managed to move the boulder and reveal the native's fate. No one else had done or realized ANY of these things, but THEM, Globox and Murfy!  
  
"Great Trousers of Polokus, Murfy! A vision told me the secret of the false disease!"  
  
Murfy tried to act collected out of such a phenomenon and said, "That's not what shocked ME! It's the ending of the story that shocked me, Globox! Everyone who boarded those islands were tricked!"  
  
"Yeah, but now I have a clear understanding of it! I knew it was puberty all along, and that's why I'm still here! And why my kids are here as well!" Globox contemplated. "Then I guess only a percentage of the creatures in this world fell into the idea of IADS. I mean, a set of islands can't hold EVERYONE on this planet, right?" Neotopia was the size of Jupiter.  
  
"That's a good hypothesis. And you know what else this means?"  
  
"I'm thinking the same thing, Murfy. Rayman's on one of those islands!"  
  
They both smiled at each other and gave each other a buddy punch on the back. "I never guessed you would've had enough energy to use your brain to that extent, Globox."  
  
"Hey, why do you think I'm that big of a glutton?"  
  
"Now we just have to somehow catch that moving island and get Rayman! We have to save him from what horrible consequences await him!"  
  
Globox looked worried again. "But how do we do that? How-"  
  
They both thought of the giant Stratifours that they had seen on the engravings! These birds must've been the IADS messengers- carrying victims straight to the location of the floating islands!  
  
They HAD to see one of those birds!  
  
"Got the Lums, Globox? WE'Z A'GONNA' MAKE LIKE A DUO OF GOOD BUDDIES, and SAVE RAYMAN!"  
  
"I do the 'Happy Globox Song' now! 'Happy happy happy SOOOOOOOOOO HAPPYYYY!'"  
  
"Save it for the part where we save 'em, ya big lug!"  
  
(to be continued) 


	3. Rayman: The Island of Loss Chapter 4

Rayman: The Island of Loss - Chapter 4  
  
Characters created by Michel Ancel  
  
Written by Andrew Kaiko  
  
  
I do not own the characters and all related subjects, with the exception of Wanda Woodoo and any other character introduced within. Rayman is © 2002 Ubi Soft Entertainment. The character of Rayman and all other characters and subjects are all trademarks of Ubi Soft Entertainment. All rights reserved. Lyrics to Groove Armada's 'Madder' are © 2003 Zomba Records Ltd. All rights reserved.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Rayman marched back and forth in front of the odd assortment of creatures, which were seated at the other end of the therapy room underground the floating island. He had organized a therapy session with the help of Wanda through the front desk, and was instructing them like a midget football coach minutes before the last third of the game!  
  
"All right, people! I have noticed some particular laxity on your parts concerning whether or not these so-called hallucinations were actually real! Also brought to my attention were whether or not these hallucinations are connected to this mass illness. Now you are all aware that this disease puts us into a state of serious depression, topped with the physical deformation of our bodies! YOU!"  
  
In character, Rayman pointed his stick at a random pink and black swirly creature that resembled a boar. The pink boar hesitated nervously and asked, "Yes?"  
  
"All these things I have just mentioned are correct, IS. that correct, Mr. Boar?"  
  
"Correct, sir, Rayman, sir."  
  
"You mean all these qualities I have just mentioned all pertain to you and you have experienced these things first hand?"  
  
"Correct, sir, Rayman, sir."  
  
"And that is true off all these people here, am I correct?"  
  
The nervous, troubled crowd paused and finally said, "Correct, sir, Rayman, sir."  
  
Wanda leaned against the back of the room with her stage sisters, trying to act cool and collected.  
  
"But as of a couple days ago, the performers and I have noticed some suspicion in the existence of these dirty beings. Through interviews, everyone onboard this island, regardless of their species, has seen a filthy version of themselves confront them with the meaning of each of our lives! Men, I act in this dutiful manner not to intimidate you, but to finally bring your attention to the underlining crisis that may be afoot anywhere on this island once and for all: THEY MUST BE REAL! In which case, all of you have a fear to face before we arrive at Planet Z! WHO'S WITH ME?!"  
  
They all dashed out like a swarm of flies.  
  
Meryl Woodoo approached Rayman from behind and said, "Cheer up, Ray. It ain't your fault that no one else will come with you in facing what could be your most formidable foe to date."  
  
"You'll come, won't you?"  
  
"Um, goodness gracious, do I feel my agent paging me?"  
  
"WILL YOU?!"  
  
David Woodoo, whose father wanted a boy, said, "My daddy always said, 'Patience is a virtue.'"  
  
"Okay, look, it's okay to be afraid, but this situation calls for immediate action! We have to face this duplicate of ourselves and get to the bottom of this! How does the island move?! Is the Planet Z really a place of fortune and happiness? It seems like we're aiming blind!"  
  
Wanda tried to console Rayman. "Ray, try not to get overly upset. You'll just make the illness worse."  
  
"Thanks, Wanda. I knew I could count on you. You knooooow-"  
  
"Ihavetogopracitcenow!" She slurped herself in through a hole in the wall and was out of site within a second.  
  
Rayman was now the only person left in the room, and very upset. "Fine! If no one will go with me, I'll go alone! I'll face this miserable multiple of myself MYSELF! You'll see! Damn IADS gets in the way of EVERYTHING!!!"  
  
He sulked for about a minute, when he finally loosened down, dropped his "shoulders", and put on his red hood, just because it made him feel comfortable if he ever found himself in a confusing situation. Wanda was right, even though a bit of a coward herself. He just needed to relax and take his time. His anxiety was getting worse.  
  
Just then, he noticed some movement behind him. He swung around and tried to see where it might've been. No one was out and about in the hallways.  
  
There it was again! Rayman followed the direction of the blur and discovered that it was his duplicate running through a passage he had never seen before, carrying some sort of cable!  
  
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Rayman skipped dinner that night.  
  
-  
  
It was very damp and the humidity was more than Murfy's wings could bear! But the water was so cool; it was soothing even as they glided across the swamp on a boat. Once off the boat, they both stared wide-eyed up to a very high mountain. Although a bit difficult to climb, on the top rested the stations where the Stratifours were kept. Stratifours were gigantic blue birds that resembled eagles and peacocks, with red tail feathers and yellow head feathers. For years, they were tamed into domesticity by higher species- like dogs, they were artificially bred to fit any particular use. Even some puppy-sized birds evolved around Rayman's forest!  
  
But the bird they were searching for was the most noble, which could grow up to reach 25 feet high and have a wingspan of 100 feet! Social animals, Stratifours were rarely seen apart.  
  
Globox cowered behind a stone when he first caught sight of a Stratifour grazing in the fields in front of the tightly secured station. They were able to cross into the area by Globox's appetite for the cameras and ID Card Gate! The bird didn't even try to walk away- in fact, it greeted them with what looked like a friendly expression.  
  
"Greetings, weary travelers. It is I, Stratifour Number 23, keeping my post, ever watchful of prey and trespassers." He had a very regal but a pretty limited monotone voice.  
  
"Hey there. So I hear you're the birds who take IADS victims over to the planet, right?"  
  
"That is correct! For as you know, we Strat-i-fours have been conditioned since the dawn of time to carry on this deed. Call it community service if you will, but to us, it is a lifetime achievement! We can breathe outside of the atmosphere and can travel for millions of miles without stopping, at a rate close to the speed of sound!"  
  
"Great! My protégé and I are seeking access to the floating islands, which are in their route toward another planet. Will you please take us?"  
  
"I am sorry, for as you know, I cannot take you to the islands."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You, as you know, do not have IADS!"  
  
Murfy thought there was no way he could've known they didn't have IADS without medical treatment, so he tried to trick him. "Oh, you kiddin'? Man, I got the WORST case a' IADS you ever seen! I hate the world! Man, I even hate myself! Lookit me! I'm kicking myself in the knoggin'!"  
  
Globox just gave him a weird look.  
  
"Save yourself the trouble. We Strat-i-fours, as you know, can automatically sense when someone has IADS or not! We have been conditioned through centuries of testing to obey only victims!"  
  
"Okay, great. Now I have no access AND a migraine!"  
  
Globox responded, "Although you act pretty close to a victim in real life!"  
  
"You tryin' to help?!"  
  
"Ooo! Ooo! Wait!" Globox opened his mouth, put his hand inside and pulled out a Lum!  
  
Murfy gasped. "So THAT'S where you've been hiding the Lums all along! I should've known. NO, I MEAN, I REALLY SHOULD'VE!!!"  
  
Globox then presented the Lum to the bird. "Mr. Stratifour, sir. If I give you a Lum, will you take us to the island?"  
  
"Hmmm. We Strat-i-fours, as you know, depend on among other things, Lums for energy. I am tempted, but, as you know, it is our moral duty never to make an extra trip! We are bound by the Ancient Stratifour IADS Act to only take those people who have IADS to the islands!"  
  
"Sir, how about 25 Lums and a few plums to sweeten the deal?"  
  
Murfy barked, "I wouldn't take it! He has a queer way of storing food!"  
  
But the Stratifour relented and said, "I accept your offer, but, as you know, we Strat-i-fours never break a rule. This, as you know, is a very perplexing predicament. I shall have to, as you know, think about it. I'll do it!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Murfy just gapped like a codfish. Globox had gained them both access in their quest to rescue Rayman twice in a row by simply pulling something out of his mouth!  
  
The Stratifour continued, "As a precaution, I shall meet you in the back of the garage this evening, for as you know, we Strat-i-fours, always report back to residence stables by the time the sun sets!"  
  
Murfy said, "Okay, okay, 'you Strat-i-four'! That's fair enough. See you then!"  
  
"I, as you know, am positively gid-dy inside. Ha. Ha. Ha."  
  
When evening came, after about two hours of laying low in and around the stations, Globox and Murfy sneaked into the back stables to see #23. He was waiting for them, wide-awake! Globox gave him the 25 Lums and the plums, and he had enough energy to last 4 days!  
  
"As you know, once out of the atmosphere, you won't be able to breathe. So I have borrowed a station pack on my back for you two to ride in while I fly! It will provide all the oxygen you'll need!" The pack he was speaking of was really a passenger area with two straps attached to it, like a backpack.  
  
Murfy was relieved to see someone helpful for once. "That's cool!"  
  
They all boarded the passenger area by running up his wing and into the door. It was made completely of metal and steel and was air-conditioned! In no time, they were reaching the stratosphere and, guided by the Stratifour's homing device, on their way toward the islands!  
  
Murfy asked through the pilot intercom, "How long will this take?"  
  
"As you know, being a Strat-i-four, it will only take about a couple hours to reach the islands!"  
  
"Okay, okay! Sheesh! You only need to say what you are once, okay? So, where're looking for a guy named Rayman. You've probably heard of him. Big nose, crazy hair-do, purple tummy with an O on the front-"  
  
"Why, yes! I was the one who happened to pick him up that night about 5 nights ago! And as you know, being a Stra-"  
  
"SHADDAP!"  
  
-  
  
Everything was ready for the Sister's next performance on-stage in the middle of the ground floor. The Sisters expected to see the same old unenthusiastic crowd that came on their first day there, which they did indeed get. But no Rayman.  
  
While the Sisters were performing however, they were temporarily halted by the intercom speakers!  
  
"Attention passengers! The time counter on the main central machine appears to be going haywire!"  
  
Indeed, the time counter, which counted the number of days left until they reached Planet Z, displayed the number 4 when it was only supposed to be 5! And to everyone's horror, it changed to 3 at that moment!  
  
"The schedule for our usual 9-day trip will have to be put on hold, for there is no reason this should happen and might throw off our itinerary completely! Please stay calm, and report to your dorm halls in an orderly fashion! A guide will be there to make sure everyone has reported to your rooms, and no one is left out! We apologize in advance, and thank you!"  
  
Wanda stroked her mullet, while pondering, "Has this happened before, Meryl?"  
  
Meryl was admiring herself in a hand mirror. "Not that I know of. Maybe the machine IS going haywire! Don't tell me you're considering the possibility that the island might be going faster!"  
  
"That may be a possibility. And this is the first time I ain't seen Ray since the first time we met!"  
  
David raised her baritone voice, "Girl, you have to just forget about that Rayboy and his outrageous shenanigans!" She had the biggest wig out of all three snakes, and so, needed all four arms to comb it.  
  
Wanda replied, "Well, I'm sorry. Ray may act really weird sometimes, but his absence parallel to this recent incident has me suspicious as well!"  
  
Meryl perked up. "Look on the bright side! If we ARE going faster, we'll have a new life sooner than we thought!"  
  
But Wanda didn't calm down. "Hey, I don't disagree with you, Meryl, but I'm gonna' get to the bottom of this whole thing, just because I'm LIKE that!"  
  
"That's Wanda! Always pretendin' to act like the leader!"  
  
"And you two should come with me!"  
  
Meryl and David twirled their heads at her! "You crazy!? Has this superiority complex finally all gone to your head?" asked David.  
  
"And have you ever considered your disagreeing with me to be the IADS talkin' and not you?"  
  
They both stared silent at her. It was true that Wanda had the dominant role in the Sisters' decisions, but what made them think for a minute was the fact that they had always followed her every move no matter how ludicrous it was! That was back on Neotopia, before they discovered the symptoms of IADS!  
  
Well, the only way they could find out if it WAS the IADS talking and not themselves was to actually go with Wanda. It was a test to see how strong they could control the effects of the disease.  
  
Everyone onboard, despite what the voice told him or her, were running around screaming! So the Sisters slithered in and out through the wall's dirt holes, to get to the bottom of the situation. Literally.  
  
No gig tonight! And no rain checks either!  
  
-  
  
Stratifour #23 dropped the two off near the bottom of the island, which ended in a deep, pointy edge downward. This, with the island's cold flat plateau above, made it look like an upside-down triangle from a side view. #23 knew where they stored the food for the trip, so he dropped them off there where they'd get the most instant oxygen when departing outside the unlivable space for nearly a minute! Globox and Murfy knew that they must hurry if they were to keep breathing, so they dashed like their life depended on it (which it did), into the metal entrance to the food cargo bay.  
  
Once inside, Globox was beside himself. Meat, fruit, vegetables, candy, cootmellons, and Lums were all scattered into a vault-sized pile!  
  
#23 said, "I wish both of you good luck in finding your friend, for as you know, living here is not a very pleasant experience. Being Strat-i-four #23, it is my duty to return to my post on Neotopia. If you need me for anything else, here is my card. As you know, good luck and Polokus-speed to you!" He then took off in the opposite direction, into the stars.  
  
Murfy thanked him silently as he put the card in his pocket, and scoffed. "Man, now I'm gonna' have that annoying word circling in my head for all eternity! Hey, Globox, you know of any good songs that-"  
  
"Oh! Is that who I think it is?!" gasped Globox.  
  
Rayman's heart jumped at the sight of Globox and Murfy. His friends had made their way toward Rayman, regardless of distance and difficulty. They would've said hi again, if they hadn't all screamed at each other out of pure delight and ecstasy!  
  
Never had Rayman experienced such fun in all his days aboard the Island of Loss! Globox and Murfy didn't even get a chance to reunite with him- they were all just so happy to see each other again that it called for a cootmellon fight! They all grabbed cootmellons and hit each other, bouncing, swimming, leaping, jumping, calling each other names and laughing like a trio of drunken idiots inside a sea of toy beach balls! The cootmellons were also very light- they reacted exactly like a well-blown up beach ball! This feud went on for about half and hour! Half and hour of pure nonsensical bliss!  
  
Rayman caught his breath after laughing hysterically and said, still grinning solidly, "Hey, I'm in the middle of what may be an emergency. I really should continue downward to the island's engine."  
  
"We'll go with you!" shouted Globox!  
  
"Ha! As if I would say no?!" They all laughed again!  
  
Globox collected a few cootmellons in his mouth sac for any occasion! Globox was able to store food and other thing in his mouth without swallowing them with the help of two sacs in each cheek, which he could use like an organic, slimy purse. He could talk just fine with stuffed cheeks- his lips were wide and very flexible! As of now, his mouth contained the remaining 25 Lums, the cootmellons, a few plums and his letter from home. With that, he and Murfy followed Rayman.  
  
-  
  
Rayman discovered himself in the middle of a narrow, dark, vertical tunnel that he climbed down from by ladders. He had lost track of the dirty duplicate, and was searching for a way to continue, when his hand knocked against a steel bar of some sort. Rayman's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out a submarine-style door! Pushing it aside, it led downward to an even narrower tunnel, this time with a light at the end of it. Could it be the absolute bottom of the island? Did this lead out of the island's nether-region? Would he be able to breathe if he continued?  
  
Globox and Murfy soon followed downward to meet Rayman.  
  
Murfy shook Rayman's hand and said, "Hey, Man With The Plan! How're you doing emotionally?"  
  
"Eh, not too good. I haven't practiced in a long time since I got depressed."  
  
"Yeah, hey, I'm sorry I didn't talk to ya' the day of the race. I was just so busy."  
  
"That's okay. I've been a little down in the dumps lately. I guess that's what ended me up here. Just be aware that I can't tolerate sarcasm as much as I used to, what with me having IADS and all."  
  
"Yeeeeeaaah, about that IADS. Uh, I have something to tell ya'. It's that IADS-"  
  
Globox quickly hugged Rayman and said, "It's great to see your in good physical health, buddy! Man, I missed you something terrible!" His eyes watered.  
  
"I missed you too, Globox. So that makes three of us, now huh?"  
  
"And we make six!" All three Sisters popped out of random holes from the dirt, their pigments glowing the way, and lighting all three friends so they could see each other much clearer.  
  
"Girls! You didn't rat out on me after all!"  
  
Wanda said, "Hey, I don't know if you heard, but there was just an announcement that the time counter that counts the days 'til Planet Z was broken! It's counting down faster than it's supposed to!"  
  
Rayman was surprised. "I'm surprised." That's just what I said. "Voice from above?" Pretend you didn't hear that. "Okay."  
  
"The voice from above is right!" said Wanda. "It's a cause for real suspicion! Now I may not agree with what you think, but I am here to check what's up with the island! We may be going faster than normal!"  
  
"Thanks. I appreciate the help, as always!"  
  
Globox drooled a little bit, but Murfy put on his best impression on them as well. "So, Ladies, you three known each other for long?" Okay, the best he could come up with, anyway.  
  
All six of them walked downward into the sewage hole. It was getting darker as they lowered themselves deeper into the very bottom of the island! Suddenly, they reached the point where a red light covered them and the walls. It was also getting a bit warmer. A faint exhaust and clanging noise from below told them they were nearing the very bottom center of the island, where the engine was. When they reached the horizontal floor, once again, the sight before them left even Rayman in shock!  
  
The man was there, but he was doing something very odd. He was standing in front of the bottom of the engine, with the bottom lid opened wide to reveal a glowing hot panel of wires and outlets. Loud humming was coming from the machine, which filled up the entire cramped space. The man was inserting one end of the cable to the outlet on that panel, and the other side, to the right side of his head! Although Rayman had seen gore much worse than this, and although this wound was small, the fact that he had to see it for five minutes in a row made it increasingly sickening! He called out, "You."  
  
He turned around. Despite the terrible-looking cut that he had formed on the right side of his head from the cable, he appeared to act like it was nothing at all. "Rayman, come to me. Come to me. I won't bite."  
  
Rayman stepped forward.  
  
Globox held a suffocating Murfy tight.  
  
Wanda shouted, "No! Rayman, it's a trick!"  
  
Rayman took some more steps toward the man, feet spread apart and hands clenched, to ask him some important questions. "Okay, Mister! I want to know once and for all! Who are you?! What's your deal?! Are you just a hallucination? Or are you just a pathetic homeless person intent on putting our lives on the line?!"  
  
The man grinned something terrible! "Oh, how wise you are, Rayman! I knew you would've discovered my identity sooner or later! I realized no one here would reach the planet before you were sure to get to the bottom of this, and that is why I simply inserted a bit of my blood into this central engine to make it go faster!"  
  
Rayman couldn't say a word. He just stood there in shock! The Woodoo Sisters slowly backed away into the side of the room. Globox couldn't take the suspense, let go of Murfy, and ran behind a nearby wall.  
  
"I might as well tell you the rest of my story! I am not a figment of your imagination, nor am I a real being. I am somewhere in between. My existence is supported by the very source that also happens to power the movement of these islands- the ENERGY OF IADS! Just like you get energy from Lums and fairies, I get my energy from the disease. That is why I had to insert electricity inside the side of my head! Without me, these islands would never be able to float!  
  
"Everyone here has seen a filthier version of themselves for that reason! To you, I look like you, Rayman. But to Wanda, I look like Wanda! To Meryl, I look like Meryl! That's right, Rayman! I am ALL those people's fear caused by the disease! I am one and all the hundreds of people's hallucinations all at once! I am the power that has been living on IADS's main energy source for all these years since it has been discovered, so I am also ancient! I AM YOUR INSECURITIES!"  
  
Murfy blurted out, "RAYMAN'S DUPLICATE, or whatever other name you've got, IADS IS A HOAX!"  
  
"Oh, no no no! I refuse to believe that! It is not entirely possible to rethink something that everyone has known as common knowledge for thousands upon thousands of years." He paused and then said, "By the way, you can call me Rex. That was my nickname in Evil School."  
  
"I have proof, Rex! Here! Read these two books!"  
  
"You think I have time to read that entire thing at a time like this? I am being faced by my counterpart here."  
  
"But listen to me! Planet Z will bring you nothing but pain and suffering, even worse than what all of you have experienced here!"  
  
"I doubt that."  
  
"But if you're ancient, you must've taken a trip to Planet Z MANY times! You've seen how it is there! So why do you doubt it?!"  
  
"Simple. The pilgrimages to Planet Z are annual, and occur at the same time once every year- they do not happen sporadically! I am the new generation of THIS year's group, so I have never even seen Planet Z personally, even though my ancestors have."  
  
Murfy raced forward into his face. "But I'm telling you NOW, that Planet Z is no GOOD! You have the power to do anything you want with these islands! Turn them all back to Neotopia! You HAVE to LISTEN to me!!!"  
  
Rexman (um, I didn't call him Rex, since I have no real taste for it, and because Rexman sounds cooler) flicked Murfy into the back wall! "Pesky pixie!" Murfy plopped down into the floor, muttering, "But Pinocke! I'm your conscience!", and fainted.  
  
Rayman turned from stunned to stern! "You can't do that to Murfy! And even if Planet Z ISN'T a hoax- I would rather be beaten by Hoodlums than go to the planet with you now!"  
  
"Don't get me angry, Rayman! There's one last thing I haven't mentioned. While my powers are dependant on IADS, being a duplicate also gives me YOUR powers! Eat THIS!!!" He unleashed the most deadly punch Globox had ever seen! It threw Rayman backwards into the same wall Murfy crashed into!  
  
Rayman quickly got to his feet. Wanda, Meryl, David and Globox all saw that Rayman got his first ever black eye. It did not look good. He dashed back toward his opponent and this time, leaped onto his head and started bashing it like a six-pack of cans! But Rexman threw him off of him and did the same to him! After he was done with that, he stepped back to view Rayman's condition.  
  
Rexman grinned at the sight of him. "Oh, yes! Now the disease is proving to be even worse! Watch how he displaces values off of everything he sees!"  
  
The whole island began to quake! Rayman brightened! "Ha! You see that? The island is halting in it's place! You just said you get your energy from the disease! Well, this just in, pal! It's a fake, which means, YOU'RE a fake TOO!"  
  
Rexman was stunned. Now it was personal! Rayman took another blow out of the nit and threw himself back, but this time, caught himself in mid-bend.  
  
Rexman was so frustrated that he pounded his fists on the ground, making an indentation. "GGGGGRRAAAAAARGH!" He then regained what was left of his sanity, and replied, "Fine. I may not thrive on real energy! BUT I DO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH YOU OFF!"  
  
Rayman felt the fury rise within the center of his powers, but not because of his disease. He had no disease! He was perfectly fine, in fact, he was fine since that day when he looked at his reflection- he had just grown up. The circle on his chest started to glow a hot red and his face showed the sign of complete hatred. With full force, he ripped off his ID number and threw it on the floor! He said very deeply, "Now I'm more than mad!"  
  
Globox cowered his face in his hands. "Oh, no! Now he's gotten MADDER!"  
  
"Right about here's where I LOOSE MY PATIENCE!"  
  
(to be continued) 


	4. Rayman: The Island of Loss Chapter 5

Rayman: The Island of Loss - Chapter 5  
  
Characters created by Michel Ancel  
  
Story and Musical Lyrics to 'The Rayman Finale', 'Within You' and 'An Unusual Pair' Written by Andrew Kaiko  
  
  
Here's the last chapter of my Rayman fan fiction. I do not own the characters and all related subjects with the exception of Wanda Woodoo and any other characters introduced within. Rayman is © 2002 Ubi Soft Entertainment. The character of Rayman and all other characters and subjects are all trademarks of Ubi Soft Entertainment. All rights reserved. Lyrics to Groove Armada's 'Madder' © 2003 Zomba Records, Ltd. All rights reserved.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"DO IT NOW!"  
  
ALL the islands stopped in their journey and trembled as a sign that the whole belief of IADS had been a fake, and gradually started to disintegrate! Rexman was the one central energy source of the disease, and when he knew that his victims knew the truth, he couldn't sustain himself any longer! The fight with Rayman began!  
  
Rexman kicked him under the nose with his right left, to which Rayman responded by punching him in the stomach! They grabbed each other by the back, leaning forward, heading locking between them so much that a passerby would never be able to distinguish which body part came from who! Their heads flew forward past each other out of momentum and they both raced back to each other for another go! Rexman flipped him upside-down in the air and plastered him on the ground, but Rayman used his foot to scoop him over himself in the same direction and soon he was on the ground too! They both got up and stared to grunt, pull hairs, punch stomachs, poke eyes, gag throats, bite feet and stop for a cup of tea before they went at it again!  
  
This continued for about ten minutes until Murfy regained consciousness. "Ugh! Now I have to pay for ANOTHER massage at the Fairy Country Club!" He then noticed the two of them fighting. "Is he cured already?! Oh, wait! He WAS fine all along. Oh well. BRAVO RAYMAN!"  
  
Globox was accidentally hit aside the face when he tried to dodge the feud and the 25 Lums went spewing out of his mouth! "Oh, no!" The Lums all cheered in high-pitched voices and all flew upward in various locations around the room, including the ceiling! Globox was waddling around in circles, whimpering, when Murfy barked, "Rayman! The Lums! Get the Lums! You need more energy!"  
  
Rayman, who was feeling extremely weak, saw the first Lum on the floor, and got it! But he knew that Rexman would always be three feet on his tail at the most, so he could NEVER stop!  
  
Then he got an idea! He would disconnect his feet and hands, spread them out, confuse Rexman and keep him off track! He disconnected his feet, which then adopted a life of their own and hopped on over the Rexman, kicking his body! Rexman was stalled for a minute while Rayman's hands tapped his shoulder and then punched his face when he responded!  
  
Rayman hopped to the wall by the bottom of his tummy. He tried to climb the wall and reach the Lum's floating on the side of it, but without hands, he could only get the first two! Just then, the Sisters appeared out of the metal wall through the ends of hollow girders! They grabbed the Rayman bunting and took it in through the series of girders, popping him in and out, allowing him to grab the Lums with his mouth. Rexman, followed them through the holes by disconnecting HIMself and shoving parts of himself through the girders one at a time!  
  
Rayman gasped, "Stupid! He can disconnect himself too!" On command, his hands and feet both raced after Rexman! Luckily, Rexman found himself going slower through the holes!  
  
Murfy then got his own idea! "Globox! Globox!"  
  
"Murfy! You're okay!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah! I got an idea to help Rayman! Put me inside your mouth and-"  
  
"What?! You'd do that, Murfy? I thought you didn't like it when I ate too much!"  
  
"Let me finish! I'll be inside your mouth, and while you walk slowly toward Hogan and Tyson over there, I'll be pretending to be YOUR voice! You can just lip-synch to what I say! I'll do all the work!"  
  
"Wow! You'd risk your dignity to help my friend?"  
  
"Hey, it's fine with me. Much of my dignity's gone anyway!"  
  
Globox carefully squeezed a wincing Murfy inside his right mouth sac, with Murfy still talking. It was a weird sensation, having a voice talking from inside you that's not your own! "Okay, now your motivation is, you're reeeeeeeally annoyed by the fact that the IADS man is beating up Rayman, and you stick up for your friend! Ready, in position, and action!"  
  
Globox marched triumphantly with his breath held in and a debonair expression. The two paused and exchanged looks of confusion. Globox appeared to say, "Fiend! How dare you try to kill my friend! Don't try to get me angry! You wouldn't like Globox when he's angry!"  
  
Rayman managed to say, in a choking voice, "Globox! You're not scared of this?! And why do you sound like Murfy?"  
  
Globox had never improvised on the spot before, so he had a rusty time trying to keep up with Murfy as he said, "Fear not, dear friend! For Globox is here to save you!" Globox turned his head toward Rexman and Murfy said, "Fighting is not the best way to ease your hatred for him! The best medicine is verbal chatting and good buddy hugs!" Globox accidentally hiccupped, which wasn't pleasant for Murfy!  
  
Rexman squinted suspiciously and very quickly, punched Globox's throat, which made him spew out a completely drenched Murfy onto the floor!  
  
Rayman stared at Murfy. Then he stared at Globox.  
  
"Hey, it was a good idea when I thought of it! And come to think of it, I now have a brand new outlook on life-", Murfy said silently.  
  
"Will you two just back off?"  
  
"Oh! Sure, right, whatever you say!"  
  
Globox said, "That was pretty cool! We should do that more often!"  
  
"Then I must tell you now, no weekly routines!"  
  
Murfy then thought of the card that #23 gave him! He would contact the bird through a wild birdcall, tell him that they were in great danger, and tell him to bring as many comrades as possible! He flew upward, found a phone among the hoard of frantic passengers, called him, and flew back down, all in a matter of 15 minutes!  
  
Rayman and Rexman continued to fight in full force. By now, with twelve body parts in total, everything got mixed up in a wild orbiting chaos! Rayman tried to reach for the last remaining pack of Lums, when they had reached the ceiling, and Rexman gave one last punch! Rayman, although having gotten all the Lums, was so exhausted that he could only use his helicopter hair move to slowly drift toward the ground, and Rexman did the same. Rayman landed on his back, with Rexman on top of him. Globox, Murfy and the Woodoo Sisters all stood there in suspense.  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the islands were all disintegrating from the outside in, and by now, it had reached halfway through to the walls of the underground complex! Passengers were in a state of panic!  
  
Rayman, incredibly weak and trembling, managed to talk to Rexman very calmly, "Remember when I first met you, and how you told me to think about my role in life?"  
  
Rexman nodded, also very calmly, waiting for Rayman's next move.  
  
"I did think about it and I discovered a few things. I've always wanted to become a hero, you know. I put such high expectations on myself, and was so self-motivated, that. I guess it was too much for me to handle a few weeks ago."  
  
Rexman knew they would hold off fighting for the next moment, so he decided to be a fair player and respond, "But you found out my secret that IADS doesn't exist! Which means, your depression. was something you formed by yourself?"  
  
"Y-yes, but not consciously. And when I was living on this island, lying on my bed, I thought of everything I could've been! I could've been a construction builder, helping in community service. Or I could've met a nice lady and became a father."  
  
The other five just stood there, silently, as if mediating the issue. Then Murfy cleared his throat and said, "Rayman, you have friends who helped you, and STILL do! They say if you have friends, you don't need anything else!"  
  
Globox said, "That's right! We'll help you overcome your depression! We'll give you food and shelter out of pure unconditional love!"  
  
Rexman interrupted their praise, "Rayman. You are you sworn ENEMY! You've corrupted my entire life cycle! You revealed the truth about the disease to everyone here! So even though I don't forgive you, I do relate to your situation!"  
  
"It's best if I just kill you."  
  
"But I am PART of you, Rayman! I am part of everybody! I am what defines a person's attentiveness toward matur-"  
  
"No no. Not attentiveness. IGNORANCE", Rayman whispered  
  
Rexman looked puzzled.  
  
"You. You controlled these people's lives to the worst degree! You made them mistake their doubts and their acceptance to the changing bodies as meer diseases! And then you blinded their better judgment by taking them to a planet that happened to be even worse than the depression?! For hundreds and hundreds of years?!?! YOU FIEND!"  
  
By this time, Rayman had risen gradually to his feet, becoming more and more dominant over Rexman. Rexman was surprised he had gained energy so fast!  
  
"The way to resolve inner stress isn't to IGNORE it!!! It's to face it in raw presence and DEAL with it, and maybe even DESTROY IT, LIKE I SHOULD DO WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!!!"  
  
Wanda then interrupted, "Rayman, remember! Before you two began fighting, it was already settled that this man thrives on false energy. This means he will be no more in a matter of minutes, because he just realized the truth about this situation as well. So maybe it IS best if you just leave him alone. Just this once. Be ignorant. This moment calls for it. Please!"  
  
Rayman fell silent once again. He was not sick. He had his powers back. His friends had found him. And the personification of his depression was to be no more in a matter of minutes.  
  
Yes. He would just go.  
  
He turned his head, and smiled at his friends. A tear fell from his eye. The depression from him instantly faded and was gone. He was back to normal.  
  
Rayman, Globox, Murfy and the Woodoo Sisters all departed upward as a group toward the main complex. But Rexman was far from finished!  
  
"RAYMAN, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! COME BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED YET!!! RAYMAN!!! RAY- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!" He didn't have time to say anything else. He was quickly disintegrating himself, and as it turns out, he was made completely of mud and dirt all along. In a few seconds, he was nothing but a pile of dirt. No more would any passenger see dirty people. No more would the case of IADS be a popular disease!  
  
Right then, the engine, along with the room it was in, and the pile of dirt, had broken off from the island and floated into space.  
  
Wanda gave Rayman a passionate look. "Nice job, Rayboy."  
  
Rayman gave her a suave grin. "Not 'boy'. 'Man'."  
  
-  
  
With the engines gone, the islands all stopped in their tracks. Everyone lost their balance from the jolt and fell down on the floors! They may not have realized the full truth about IADS (at least not yet) but they were certain that the floating islands were not the best way to resolve their problems, even with Planet Z taking up a 16th of the entire sky now! They were so close! So close to doom!  
  
Rayman and the others discovered the halt and the people trying to get them back up. He still had the black eye and a few bruises, but nothing that made him act abnormal. His strength restored, he ordered everybody to evacuate the disappearing island immediately! Like the Titanic, the island's disintegration was reaching inches below the walls of the dorm halls, and was inching it's way down to the hollowed center any minute! Rayman could feel the floors start to mesh beneath him!  
  
Just then, all the Stratifours that Murfy had called arrived in the nick of time! The oxygen was wearing out fast! So everyone immediately scrambled into the passenger area backpacks that each bird wore on their backs! When everyone was inside, and most out of breath, the Stratifours switched on the artificial oxygen and they were off.  
  
No one was left on the island. As they watched from the glass windows from the backpacks, the islands crumpled smaller and smaller into nothing but dirt and space junk. The Island of Loss was no more.  
  
Rayman broke the pivotal moment by saying, "So Globox! How did you and Murfy actually find out the truth?!"  
  
Murfy broke in, "Eh, it was really hard at first, but we soon found out that NOTHIN'S too big for US macho men! No sirree! Oh, ya' should've seen it! We were battling carnivorous beasts and native tribes, even a horrible encounter with Hoodlums, and-"  
  
"Murfy," said Globox. "We never did any of those things!"  
  
"Oh, okay, yeah. But, can't you at least take advantage of the moment?! Haven't you ever heard of ego?"  
  
"Rayman, we were terrible at first! But we soon found out the truth through cooperation and compromise!"  
  
"Yeah, I agreed never to feed you while you agreed never to talk to me!"  
  
Rayman smiled and said, "Don't worry, Murfy. I, uh, get the idea. But Globox, you did learn something, right?"  
  
"Yeah! Murfy, when you were talking in my mouth, it was as if I discovered a new meaning for life! Acting brave felt great!"  
  
"Hey, Rayman, what happened to that cootmellon you won at the race?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" yelled Globox as he pulled out a cootmellon from his mouth. "Have a fruit! It's extra juicy!"  
  
They all laughed and laughed all the way toward Neotopia!  
  
-  
  
They arrived back at the forest in no time! Although it was night, the place was decorated with lights filled with Lums! Everyone was ecstatic to see Rayman back in great shape, as well as Murfy, and, uh, yeah, Globox, I guess. They had planned a homecoming event for his homecoming. Just about all of Rayman's current friends, as well as old friends from his childhood days, had reunited! The anthropomorphic musical instruments from Band Land were there to play songs! All of the creatures Rayman met on the island decided to stay in the forest, no matter where they originally came from, for they knew their chances of a new life were best in the forest.  
  
Globox and Murfy informed Dr. Zchiendrich of the discoveries they made, to which he quickly wrote down inside a book, making sure it went to get widely published! Globox and Murfy received plagues for their discovery and Neotopian recognition! "Now you both know how it feels to be famous!" said Rayman.  
  
Murfy shrugged. "Yeah, well, you can bet that I won't be doing anything famous again for a LONG time! Heh!"  
  
Rayman had another surprise waiting. Ly the fairy was sitting on a toadstool at the back of the crowd!  
  
She flew over to him and hugged him. "The news spread to the other sides of Neotopia, Rayman. Now you really are a hero! You've overcome the evil forces inside of you as well as the opposing forces on the outside!"  
  
Rayman smiled. "Thanks, Ly." He didn't have to say anything more. She knew. It didn't matter how old or mature he became. As long as his name was Rayman, he'd fight not just for everyone living on Neotopia, and not only for him either, but for life, the universe, and Everything!  
  
Murfy hovered between the two and cleared his throat. "Eh, uh, um, yeah. So, Rayman. How what are you planning on doing now?"  
  
Rayman thought for a bit, as the crowd grew silent with anticipation of what he had to say.  
  
Finally, Rayman perked up, punched his own fist and said, "By golly, I'm gonna' belt! 'Cause I HEAR A SONG COMMIN' ON!"  
  
The musical instruments knew that was their cue. They exploded into an orchestral Broadway musical song called 'The Rayman Finale'. And it went a little somethin' like this:  
  
(open curtain. Cue Rayman in a flashy 'Chorus Line' suit, soft-shoeing center-stage and beginning his lines.)  
  
Rayman: "Everyone who lives here knows that it's a give-in, That every time I face a foe, we're win-nin'! But lately I've been under the weather and practic'ly bummed. A lil' sprite told me if you relent, you'd loose all your Lums!  
  
Soooooooo, I tried my best to cope with these new iss-ues, With no one else to hand me even some tis-sues! I tried to battle and face this brand new enemy! And through and through I beat the guy who happened to be ME!"  
  
Woodoo Sisters: "WHO? YOU?"  
  
Rayman: (speaking) "That's right, me!" (singing) "I was certain Ol' Man Trouble'd rear his ugly head on me! But now I know, that even though, I'm armless, legless, three-foot-three,"  
  
Sisters: "Three-foot-three!"  
  
Rayman: "That it doesn't matter how many parts you are or what your height may beeee, Just so long as you are free!" (speaking) "Ladies and Gentlemen! I present the WOODOO SISTERS!"  
  
Sisters: (to a Motown beat) "Woo-doo! Woo-doo! Woo-doo!"  
  
Wanda: "No one else knows how lonely were were back then! No one else knows how dirty and dark it was, but UUUUS! Oh, but now we can belt out in bright melody and put all our problems behind uuuus! 'Cause growing up, although you can't fight it, It's comes to all of us, don't try to hide it!"  
  
Sisters: "Wo-DOOOOOO!"  
  
Wanda: "Your still a child.within yooooou!"  
  
Sisters: "Within yoooooou!"  
  
Wanda: "Within yooooou!"  
  
Rayman: (speaking) "Murfy! Globox! Take it away!"  
  
Murfy and Globox dancing a Charleston: "Yeah, Daddy-o, it's true that we're a unusual pair! Oh, whatta' really unusual pair! We barely share a strand of DNA!"  
  
Murfy: (speaking) "Heh! That'll be the day!" (back to singing) "At first I thought you'd be a jerk and drive me up the walls!"  
  
Globox: "Yeah, but see how much I've resisted your frequent pranks, tricks and pratfalls!"  
  
Murfy: (speaking) "Eck, that line was bad! Do us all a favor and swear never to get a job writing show tunes, jerk!" Globox: (speaking) "No one appreciates artistic license!"  
  
Both: "It's true that we're an unusual pair!"  
  
Teensies: "Doo-de-doo!"  
  
Both: "Oh, whatta' really unusual pair! Like Felix Unger and Oscar, only worse!"  
  
Teensies: "Doo-dedoo-doo-doo-dedoo!"  
  
Globox: "At first I thought your constant jabs would get the best of me!"  
  
Murfy: "Jabs? At least I neva' have to gobble everything I see!"  
  
Globox: (chewing part of the wooden stage) "I'm working on it."  
  
Both: "It's true that we're an unusual pair!"  
  
Teensies: "Doo-de-doo!"  
  
Both: "Oh, whatta' really unusual pair! We thought we'd die and go right straight to Heeeeeeeeell!" But together we are proof,"  
  
Teensies: "Doo-dedoo!"  
  
Both: "That a pixie an a goof,"  
  
Teensies: "Doo-dedoo!"  
  
Murfy: "Can overcome their hardships WEEEEEEELL!"  
  
Both in harmony: "Can overcome their haaaaaard! Shiiips!  
  
Murfy: "WEEEEEELL!" Globox: "GOOOOOOOD!"  
  
Murfy: (speaking) "Practice your grammar, too, pal."  
  
Both: "YEAH!"  
  
Rayman continued his own song: "Oh, yes, I was certain Ol' Man Winter'd blow his icy snow on me! But it's all lies, when you realize, that what you got is melody!"  
  
Chorus in harmony: "And harmony!"  
  
(Everyone halted, as the tempo slowed down to a slow, marching beat you hear near the end of most finales, and everyone entered the stage and sang.)  
  
Everyone: "Sooooooo, you can grow through life with virtue, pride and honestyyyyyyyyyy!"  
  
(longer pause, the drums rolled for a second and, in an instant all the instruments exploded into music again)  
  
Everyone: "JUUUUUST!"  
  
(Globox juggled all six of Rayman's parts in the air)  
  
Everyone in three-part harmony: "SO LONG AS YOOOOOOUUU!"  
  
(The Teensies played Rayman-Toss with Globox's kids)  
  
Everyone in three-part harmony: "AAAAAAAAAAAAARE!"  
  
(Globox, Murfy, Betilla, Clark, Ly and Wanda Woodoo all went to Rayman and each hugged, literally, a separate piece of him!)  
  
Everyone in four-part harmony: "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  
  
**********  
  
The musical instruments ended with a bang and everyone clapped and cheered to a stage that, strangely enough, appeared out of nowhere in the beginning of the number. Rayman leaped over the crowd and gave one last PUNCH in the air!  
  
The End 


End file.
